Ahh, It seems like just the other day I pulled a muscle cramming anything and everything into last year’s Holiday Buying Guide.

How time flies.

This holiday season lacks some of last year’s bang, as there aren’t any major splashes to be made like the release of Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect. So in this buying guide, I’ll instead focus more on detailing a variety of products.

I’ll be leading off with games that are must-haves. These are obvious buys — but may not be so obvious to those less familiar with the video-game world. There is very little chance of “missing” on these games as gift ideas, or for your own personal use.

Following the first few titles, the order will be more random, to keep the list fresh throughout.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
You’ve seen the commercials at every remote click, and maybe even read about the lengths people have gone through to get a copy.

A&E reporter John Wenzel has covered a variety of topics for The Denver Post over the years, including video games, comedy, music and the fine arts. He's been playing and loving video games since his dad brought home a sweet ColecoVision in 1983. Catch him on PSN as beardsandgum.

Hugh got his start writing for the Cheyenne and Woodmen Edition newspapers in Colorado Springs. In 2011 he moved to Denver where he has written for Denver Urban Spectrum and Colorado Community Media’s Wheat Ridge Transcript. Hugh joined The Denver Post in 2014 as an editorial assistant.

Bryan Moore joined The Denver Post sports department in 1997 and has worked in many phases of producing the daily sports section ever since, specifically focusing on coverage of the Denver Broncos, Colorado Rockies, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and college football and basketball.